Download the PDF.
This is a well-done little video.
I don’t really have much to add to it… other than to say that at least Mathew the tax collector
was literate, even if ‘god’ wasn’t, and he could have taken down some crib notes…. and the argument
that writing materials were too expensive is a lame argument. He literally sat surrounded by bags
of money.
“Based on biblical accounts and historical context, the following is a summary of Matthew the tax collector:
He had money. Tax collectors, or “publicans,” in that era worked on a contract basis for the Roman government. They would bid for the right to collect taxes in a certain region, and they were expected to make their profits by collecting more than was legally required and keeping the difference. This system often led to corruption and made tax collectors wealthy, though they were despised by their fellow Jews who saw them as traitors. The fact that Matthew hosted a large banquet for Jesus and other tax collectors at his house after being called also suggests he was a man of means.”
He was a disciple of Jesus. Matthew, also known as Levi, was a tax collector in Capernaum when Jesus called him to follow him. The Gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke all describe this event. He left his profession to become one of the twelve apostles.
He was literate. As a tax collector, Matthew would have needed to be able to read and write, likely in multiple languages such as Aramaic and Greek, to keep detailed records and communicate with Roman officials.
One simple “Yo Mat Dude! Yo! Write the shit down would have saved us from 2000 years of insanity, genocide and environmental destruction.
Kevin Cann
Public Domain
9/16/2025